


Flustered

by Scarabee



Category: Original Work
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Self-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 23:46:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17151302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarabee/pseuds/Scarabee
Summary: Jay gets injured on his way to work and runs into his neighbor.





	Flustered

**Author's Note:**

> well this is happening i guess. something super short i wrote a while ago (with some touch ups i just did hjdgfh). Pandan normally isn’t easily flustered (at least not at first) and is usually a garbage man but i wanted to write him this way for this fic cause when i had the initial idea it was SO CUTE!! it nearly killed me so… here ya go

Jay was quickly running around in his apartment trying to get organized and prepare for the day. His alarm decided not to go off that morning and he was late. Very late. Jay grabbed his toast, buttered it, and devoured it in two bites. In a few seconds he flew out the door running at full speed, his hair barely dry from his shower.  
"Why today of all days did I have to be late?!" Jay groaned loudly as he ran down the street. Jay made the mistake of looking up at the sky while he ran. The sky was still a pale blue and the air was crisp and cold making Jay's lungs sting slightly as he panted. It would almost be calming if he wasn't in a rush. Since Jay wasn't watching where was going he ran directly down into the stairs of the subway station. There was an absence of ground where Jay's foot was and his stomach did a flip and he was flung forward down the cement stairs. Jay squeezed his eyes shut as an explosive pain ripped through his right shin. But before Jay could fall any farther he collided with something soft. Jay quickly opened his eyes and stared up at a (unfortunately very handsome) man with long dark hair that was tied back into a ponytail, he looked down at Jay with concerned eyes. The man was holding Jay tightly but was also gripping the metal railing, they were tilted backwards at a very precarious angle.  
"O-Oh no, I-I'm so sorry!!" Jay squeaked.  
"Are you OK?" The man asked quickly. Jay quickly picked himself up and helped the man up as well.  
"I-I wasn't watching where I was g-going... S-s-sorry. I didn't hurt you did I?" Jay muttered worriedly. The man smiled gently, his cheeks flushed a bit.  
"I'm fine. Are you OK?" He asked again. Jay nodded quickly.  
"Y-yes I'm OK! Th-thank you!" He smiled. He had to get going, or his boss would surely yell at him for being so late. Jay didn't like the thought of being scolded so he turned and gave a little wave to the man who helped him. "I have to go, th-thank you again!" Jay said quickly. The man almost looked disappointed but before Jay could even take a step up the stairs an intense pain shot through his leg. Jay gasped and his knees suddenly buckled from the pain, he awkwardly landed on the cement stairs and swore loudly.  
"Yeah, OK, you're not OK." The man said nervously. Hot tears pricked Jay's eyes and he readjusted himself on the stairs. The man knelt down on the stairs as Jay pulled up his pant leg. Jay's shin was badly scrapped and a huge swelling bruise was developing.  
"Oh god... ohh no." Jay said, the panic rising in his voice.  
"Oooh... that looks nasty." The man said. Jay grabbed the railing and pulled himself to his feet and leaned all his weight on his left leg. "H-here, let me help." The man offered. He turned around and gestured for Jay to come, seemingly wanting to give him a piggyback ride.  
"Uh... no thanks. I’m ok." Jay said awkwardly.  
"Are you sure? I really don’t think you can walk on that leg." The stranger said. Jay waved his hand quickly.  
"No, no, I’ll be fine!" He reassured. Jay went to take a step and the pain was almost unbearable, he clenched his teeth and hopped back onto his good leg biting back the pain. The stranger looked concerned but he respectfully kept his distance. Jay didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t get to work like this or go home. And accepting a piggyback ride from a stranger was weird! But he didn’t have much of a choice at this point. “Ok... I could use the help.” Jay muttered quietly. The young man nodded firmly. Jay flushed nervously and hesitantly climbed onto the stranger's back. The man got up, went up the stairs, and began walking up the street where Jay was originally heading.  
"Thank you. S-sorry for all the trouble." He mumbled quietly.  
Jay flushed nervously and hesitantly climbed onto the stranger's back. The man got up, went up the stairs, and began walking up the street where Jay was originally heading.  
"Thank you. S-sorry for all the trouble." He mumbled quietly.  
"Hey it's no problem. I'm Pandan by the way." Pandan greeted warmly. Jay blinked and smiled a little.  
"I'm Jay." He introduced. There was silence for a second.  
"So uh... where are you going?" Pandan asked. Jay noticed that they were headed the right way, as if Pandan seemed to already know where he was supposed to go.  
"Um... I work at Honey Loaf Bakery on 2267 Bright Corners. I'm the pastry chef there." Jay said. Pandan was quiet again, he was staring straight ahead and his ears looked like they were starting to become pink. Probably from the chilly morning air.  
"That's pretty cool. I've... never been there before." Pandan said quietly. Jay sighed, he would've told Pandan to hurry but at this point he felt that it didn't really matter. He wasn't even sure he could work with his injury. Jay prayed that his boss didn't force him to work like this. Jay wrapped his arms around Pandan's neck so he could get a better grip and rested his chin on Pandan's shoulder. Pandan suddenly faltered and nearly tripped over his own feet but he quickly righted himself. He repositioned Jay slightly and held onto his legs a little tighter.  
"A-am too heavy?" Jay asked nervously. Pandan shook his head quickly without looked back at Jay.  
"No no! You're fine. You're light as a feather to me." He said. Jay blushed a little. Jay and Pandan finally arrived at Honey Loaf Bakery, though Jay told Pandan to let him down outside the bakery Pandan insisted that he bring him inside. Pandan pushed the glass door open with his foot and he took a deep breath of the sweet smell of baking bread. Jay sighed with relief when he saw that the bakery wasn't too busy that morning. A girl at the counter looked up when Pandan and Jay entered and her mouth dropped open.  
"Jesus Christ Jay, what happened to you!?" She exclaimed.  
"H-hey Ubesti... I uh... kinda fell down some stairs." Jay muttered sheepishly. Ubesti's eyes drifted to Jay's injured leg and the giant bruise.  
"Geez, you need to be more careful! You're gonna get yourself killed one day!" She scolded.  
"I take it this happens often?" Pandan said with a grin.  
"Oh yeah, you have no idea!" Ubesti snorted.  
"Ubesti!" Jay hissed. Ubesti grinned and came around from behind the counter, she looked closely at Jay's shin.  
"That looks pretty bad. Can you walk?" She asked. Jay opened his mouth to answer but Pandan cut him off and answered for him.  
"He can't." Pandan said simply. Ubesti looked at Pandan and blinked in surprise, but she then smiled slyly.  
"It's OK Jay, take the day off and get that leg looked at. I'll cover for you." Ubesti smiled.  
"A-are you sure?" Jay frowned.  
"Yeah! I'll tell the boss you injured yourself and couldn't make it to work." Ubesti said. Jay frowned sadly and sighed.  
"Ok..." He muttered. Ubesti fixed her eyes on Pandan, their eyes locked for a moment.  
"Be sure to take care of him... uh..." Ubesti trailed off.  
"Pandan." Pandan finished.  
"Right! Get him home safe for me will ya?" Ubesti smiled sweetly. Pandan nodded to Ubesti looking determined.  
"Y-you don't have to carry me home Pandan. I-I can take a bus or something." Jay stuttered nervously.  
"It's ok, I already escorted you this far. I want to make sure you get home safely." Pandan smiled gently. Pandan looked up at Jay over his shoulder and held his gaze for a few moments before Jay got nervous and looked away. Ubesti had waved goodbye to them as they left the bakery and they were now walking down the street back the way they came. A heavy silence had fallen over Jay and Pandan. Jay didn't know what to say at this point, it was all so awkward but he was too nervous to speak and break the tension. People on the street gave them odd looks as they passed by and Jay buried his face in Pandan's back out of embarrassment, which made a shiver go up Pandan's spine. Jay then realized that Pandan had no idea where he lived and he hadn't even told him how to get there. But when Jay looked up and took in his surroundings he saw that they were, again, going the right way. Pandan just seemed to know where to go. Jay wasn't sure if that was creepy or not. Suddenly, Pandan finally broke the heavy silence making Jay's heart jump slightly.  
"I guess you must have noticed by now..." Pandan began, he cleared his throat sounding nervous. "that I know where you live." Pandan said quietly.  
"U-uhm... y-yeah..." Jay whispered timidly. Pandan felt Jay's body tense against his back and he quickly cleared his throat again, he coughed awkwardly.  
"A-actually it turns out we're neighbors! I live in the same apartment building you do, I live bellow you in apartment 122." Pandan explained. Pandan felt Jay relax again and Pandan let out a quiet sigh of relief. He would have cursed himself forever if he accidentally messed up this golden opportunity to get close to Jay.  
"O-Oh? I- uh... I had no idea." Jay sighed. "I guess it was lucky you caught me huh?" He laughed softly. Pandan's insides tied themselves in a knot at the sound of Jay's laugh right by his ear. It was so cute! He was going to die at this rate before he even got Jay back home.  
"Yeah!" Pandan said cheerfully. "Y'know, I always wanted to say hi to you but I never see you leave your apartment at all. I tend to sleep in a lot and you get up pretty early so I always miss you." He muttered.  
"You wanted to talk to me?" Jay said in disbelief. Pandan bit his bottom lip.  
"U-uh, well yeah!" He chuckled. Pandan began to sweat despite the cool morning air. Jay was quiet for a second.  
"You say you sleep in a lot, so what are you up so early today for?" Jay asked curiously. Pandan started sweating even more, he was beginning to feel uncomfortably hot in his thick jacket.  
"I had to... I was... working late last night." Pandan lied.  
"Oh." Jay said. "That sounds rough if you didn't back until this morning." He smiled sympathetically. Pandan released the breath he didn't realize he was holding.  
"Yeah it sucks but y'know... pays the bills." He chuckled. Jay laughed a little and Pandan's heart did a flip.  
Pandan awkwardly leaned forward to keep Jay from falling off his back as he tried to fish his keys from his pocket. They finally made it back to the apartment building and Pandan had to unlock the front door to the building to get inside.  
"Here use mine." Jay offered. Jay dangled a small key ring with two keys on it in front of Pandan's face. Pandan grinned as he took the key ring, there was a cute key chain of a smiling cat face on a candy bar.  
"Thanks ba- uh... thanks." Pandan said. He quickly unlocked the door, stepped in, and started up the stairs. Pandan used Jay's key to unlock the door to his apartment.  
"T-thank you for taking me all the way home. I really appreciate it." Jay said warmly. Pandan tried to take in everything about Jay's apartment as fast as he could when he stepped inside. It was small like his was but the layout was slightly different and it was a lot cleaner too. Pandan closed the door with his foot and took off his shoes quickly.  
"Hey it's no problem, neighbors should help each other out." He said happily.  
"You can... you know... put me down now." Jay mumbled quietly. Pandan flushed.  
"Er right!" He laughed. Pandan didn't want to let go just yet, so he headed for the room in front of him that looked like a bedroom. Jay's grip tightened on Pandan's shoulders but he didn't say anything. Pandan turned on the light and tried not to linger and stare at everything, he went to Jay's neatly made bed and gently put him down. Jay avoided Pandan's eyes and flushed brightly when he turned around to look at him. But before Jay could say anything Pandan spoke up.  
"Oh! I'll get you an ice pack for your leg!" He said quickly. Pandan ran out of the room and disappeared into Jay's apartment.  
"I don't have any ice packs!" Jay called. Pandan hissed to himself when he turned up nothing from the freezer. He grabbed a freezer bag he found in the cabinets and stuffed some ice cubes into it. Wrapping the make shift ice pack in a cloth he headed back to Jay's room quickly. Jay was reclined in his bed looking at his phone, Pandan smiled warmly at him and sighed dreamily. Pandan went over and handed Jay the ice pack he made.  
"Here, this should do for now." He smiled. Jay smiled back at Pandan gratefully, he carefully put the bag of ice on his leg and sighed.  
"Thank you so much. You're so sweet." He chirped. Pandan's heart swelled with happiness at Jay's words. He quickly dug into his pocket, Pandan had prepared in case he ever got a chance like this. He nervously handed Jay a small slip of paper.  
"H-here... if you need anything at all just text me." Pandan smiled sheepishly. Jay's eyes widened and he turned a bright red.  
"O-oh..." He swallowed nervously, "T-thank you..." Jay squeaked. Pandan nodded quickly and waved goodbye, he left Jay's apartment and it felt like he was in a dream. Pandan finally had a chance to capture Jay's heart, the person he had been pining for was so close and now was only a text away.

After two days of rest Jay could finally put weight on his right leg and walk again. He was busy back at work baking Honey Loaf's pastries for the morning rush. Jay wiped his forehead of sweat from the hot ovens as he put a sheet of cinnamon rolls inside. Jay picked up another sheet of cinnamon rolls that had finished cooling and took them out to the front to place them into the display case. Ubesti was chomping at the bit trying to get Jay to tell her about everything that happened when Pandan took him home a few days ago. Jay looked at Ubesti strangely.  
"What is that supposed to mean?" He grumbled. Ubesti groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.  
"Figures... only you could not notice when a hot guy has the hots for you." She muttered. Jay's face went red and he shook his head wildly.  
"W-what the hell are you talking about?!" He sputtered.  
"Geez are you really that blind? Pandan has been coming here for months just trying to get you to notice him!" Ubesti hissed. Jay shook his head slowly, refusing to believe what he was hearing.  
"No way... I-I've never seen him come in before..." He mumbled.  
"That's because he never actually comes in. He just hangs around outside trying to 'casually' catch your attention." Ubesti said. Ubesti was about to say something else but she stopped short, something caught her attention. Jay looked over and saw Pandan deliberately walking slowly by the bakery window, their eyes immediately locked. Pandan seemed startled by this and he faltered and clumsily fell. He quickly got up but avoided looking at Jay, his face burning red. Pandan ran out of sight. Jay's stomach did several flips and he felt shaky, his face too was very red. Ubesti looked over at Jay with a wide smug grin.  
"Don't look at me like that!" Jay growled angrily. Jay quickly restocked the cinnamon rolls and retreated into the back of the bakery.


End file.
